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To attract butterflies through their life cycle, plant both nectar sources for adults and host plants where particular butterflies can lay eggs and caterpillars can feed. The 30 plants below are regional examples, not a universal ranking or a guarantee that every species will use them. Match each plant to your location and the butterflies you hope to support.
How to choose plants for a butterfly garden
Adult butterflies need nectar, but flowers alone do not provide the food many caterpillars require. Host-plant relationships are species-specific: a female butterfly lays eggs where its caterpillars can find suitable food. A useful garden therefore combines nectar plants with host plants for local butterfly species.
Native status and garden suitability depend on location. The first 27 examples below come from the U.S. Botanic Garden’s guidance for the Mid-Atlantic, so treat them as candidates for that region—not recommendations for every U.S. garden. The final three are examples from Butterfly Conservation’s UK urban habitat guidance and should not be assumed suitable elsewhere. Check regional advice before buying or planting; NABA offers butterfly garden guides by location and recommends regionally native plants in its plant guidance.
These examples are grouped by their stated role in the cited guidance. A host-plant label means the source identifies the plant as a host example; it does not establish which butterfly uses every species in every region. A nectar label likewise does not mean every butterfly can feed from it.
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- Warm Tips: Pour clean water into the garden butterfly feeder, pay attention to the water level not too deep, or put in small and beautiful beads or stone to prevent the bees from drowning and facilitate their falling into the water. Place the bee water station in the garden area where bees often appear.
- Practical and Decorative: It not only provides water and energy for pollinating insects in the garden, but also serves as a bath basin for bees and butterflies. and at the same time serve as an outdoor yard decoration, create a beautiful scenery in your outdoor garden.
Host plants for caterpillars
Host plants provide food for caterpillars and support egg laying. Choose a locally suitable plant associated with the butterfly species in your area rather than relying on a broad plant name alone.
- Milkweed (Asclepias spp.): A host-plant example. The U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic list includes swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata); select a locally appropriate species.
- Willow (Salix spp.): The U.S. Botanic Garden includes Salix caroliniana among its Mid-Atlantic host examples.
- Pawpaw (Asimina triloba): A host-plant example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- River birch (Betula nigra): A host-plant example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana): A host-plant example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis): A host-plant example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida): A host-plant example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana): A host-plant example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Common hop-tree (Ptelea trifoliata): A host-plant example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Sassafras (Sassafras albidum): A host-plant example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Oak (Quercus spp.): The U.S. Botanic Garden names Quercus velutina among its Mid-Atlantic host examples.
- Spicebush (Lindera benzoin): A host-plant example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Sumac (Rhus spp.): A host-plant example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum): A host-plant example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Nasturtium (Tropaeolum spp.): Butterfly Conservation identifies nasturtium as a foodplant for white butterflies in its UK urban habitat guidance.
Nectar plants for adult butterflies
These plants are identified as nectar-source examples in institutional guidance. Their regional suitability, bloom timing, and growing requirements vary; confirm them locally rather than treating this list as a planting prescription.
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- Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.): Included in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic garden plant examples.
- Whorled tickseed (Coreopsis verticillata): A nectar-source example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Coneflower (Echinacea spp.): A nectar-source example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium fistulosum): A nectar-source example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Blanket flower (Gaillardia × grandiflora): A nectar-source example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Lindheimer’s beeblossom (Gaura lindheimeri): A nectar-source example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance. Confirm current plant naming and regional fit when selecting it.
- Smooth oxeye (Heliopsis helianthoides): A nectar-source example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Rose-mallow (Hibiscus × moscheutos): A nectar-source example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Evening primrose (Oenothera spp.): A nectar-source example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Thickleaf phlox (Phlox carolina): A nectar-source example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Fall phlox (Phlox paniculata): A nectar-source example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida): A nectar-source example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Sedum (Sedum spp.): A nectar-source example in the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Mid-Atlantic guidance.
- Lavender: Butterfly Conservation lists it among useful nectar shrubs in its UK urban habitat guidance.
- Verbena (Verbena bonariensis): Butterfly Conservation lists it as a mid-summer flowering example in its UK urban habitat guidance.
Plan for flowers and habitat across the season
Rather than planting every example, select plants that fit your region and create a mix of nectar and host resources. Butterfly Conservation advises planning for flowers from spring through autumn, including flowers in spring and autumn when they are useful to butterflies at those points in the season. The cited guidance does not establish bloom dates for every plant in this list, so use a regional planting guide for timing.
- Choose for local butterflies: The University of Florida IFAS Extension recommends regional native plants and pairing host and nectar plants. The Missouri Botanical Garden also explains that butterflies have species-specific host and nectar needs. Its butterfly garden guidance and the Missouri Botanical Garden’s butterfly gardening page provide further context.
- Use a sunny, sheltered site: The U.S. Botanic Garden and Butterfly Conservation recommend sunny, sheltered garden locations.
- Group plants: Planting in groups is recommended by both organizations and can make the planting area easier for butterflies to find.
- Avoid pesticides: Both organizations advise avoiding pesticides in butterfly gardens.
- Avoid peat compost: Butterfly Conservation includes avoiding peat compost among its garden recommendations.
- Check space and conditions: The guidance cited here does not provide a complete comparison of mature size, moisture needs, or sunlight requirements for all 30 examples. Consult a regional extension service or plant guide before planting.
For additional general guidance, see Butterfly Conservation’s gardening advice and the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Butterflies in the Garden page.
Quick Recap
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- Lively and colorful: The Bee watering ball is made into a beautiful flower shape, with gorgeous colors and green stems and leaves to attract more bees and butterflies to stay and provide energy for pollination.
- Simple installation: The bee watering station only needs to install the flower and the rod diameter together, without the need for installation tools. After the installation is completed, insert the base into the garden soil to make a stable and beautiful bee bath for garden. In addition, the rod diameter can determine the installation height by itself to form a colorful garden decoration with different heights.
- How to use: Pour clean water into the bee drinking station for garden and make sure the water is not too deep, or you can put in clean and beautiful beads to prevent bees from drowning and facilitate landing. Insert the pollinator watering station in the garden area where bees often appear.
- Sturdy material: The butterfly feeder sponge is made of high-quality metal, painted with high-temperature paint, and is not afraid of wind, rain and sun. It is sturdy, and is a beautiful landscape of your outdoor garden.
- Wide application: The bee watering station for garden can provide water and food, such as sugar water for bees and butterflies. It can also be a floating bee bath and butterfly bath, yard garden decor for outside at the same time.
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